Slow Blackfishing This Spring

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by ESFISH

I have tagged just over 1400 tautog for VMRC/VIMS since 2018 on a number of wrecks off Chincoteague Virginia and around the bridges in Chincoteague Bay and have had 315 tag returns. What I have learned is that the Tog I have tagged 99.5% have been recaught at the same wreck or bridge and the average growth rate is between 1"-1.5" per year. When I moved down here 9 years ago Tog did not receive that much fishing pressure but in the last few years it has been another story since it seems every serious fisherman now has a trolling motor with spot lock.

Thanks for that and so what I heard about them returning to the same exact piece of structure is correct. I hear you on the increased fishing pressure, they seem to be the new vanity fish.... Spoke to a few people up in RI, which seems to be the epicenter for good tog fishing now. 10 years ago no one used to fish for them up there and were thought to be a trash fish but that is changing now too.

Hope our marine scientists stay on top of this but sadly, it seems whatever species they manage they screw up even worse.